Samuel rotan



(Model.) Y

S. ROTAN.

- FORGE FEED FORSBBDING'MAGHINBS. No. 255.119.

Patented Mar. 21,1882.

UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE.

SAMUEL ROTAN, E BaowNsvILLE, INDIANA, Assis-Non 0E ONE-HALE To JOHN L. RITER, 0E SAME PLACE.

Foncia-*FEED Foa SEEDING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 255,119, dated March 21, 1882.

Application filed April 5,. 1881. (Model.)

, To all whom it may concern Beit known that I, SAMUEL ROTAN, residing at Brownsville, in the county of Union and State of Indiana, have invented certain new useful Improvements in Force-Feeds for Seeding-Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the. art to which it pertains to make 1o and use it, reference beinghad to the accompanyin g drawings, which form part of this speciication.

This invention relates to certain improvements in seeding-machines of the class known I5 as force-feeds; and the objects are to simplify the manufacture of the parts constituting the force-feed, to dispense with the use of hubs or sleeves, and to produce a force-feed at a small cost.

Heretofore in the manufacture of force-feeds for seeding-machines it is usual to cast the tinted feed-wheel with a smooth portion or hub to lit one of the side openings in the feedcup, or the hubcastindependently oftheiiutedfeed-wheel, but united thereto so as to pass through thc side opening of the feed-cup. This is objectionable for the reason that it is difficult to east the two parts so as to tit snugly, owing to shrinkage and roughness of the castings, and 3o the poor fit of the feed-wheel huh in the cupopening causes an oscillating motion that varies the size of the conduit and producesan irregular or uneven liow of the grain.

My invention therefore consists in the employment of an enlarged tubular shaft, preferably made of gas-pipe, t0 receive the feedwheels and the cut-offs.

My invention also consists, in combination 5o tion,with the enlarged tubular shaft, of a fluted` feed-wheel, and a double cut-olf mounted and arranged on said tubular shaft, as will be hereinafter described.

My invention also consists inthc novel construction ofthe double cut-offs, as will be hereinafter more fully described.

My invention also consists, in combination with a seed-cup having an upper gate, of the cut-off having a groove adapted to engage with the gate ofthe seed-cup.

My invention also consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, as will be hereinafter more fullydescribed,a1'1d pointed out in the claims. l

Figure l of the drawings is a representation of a perspective view of my improved forcefeed device. Fig. 2 is a plan or top view of the same; Fig. 3, a vertical sectional view taken through the line m x of Fig. 2, looking 5 toward the feed-cup.' Fig. 4 is a perspective 7o view of a portion of a tubular shaft with a feed-wheel and cut-offs arranged in their respective order. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the rose-washer.

y In the annexed drawings, forming a part of this specification, the letter A represents the feed-cup with the usual side openings, constructed in two sections in the usual manner.

rlrhe letter B represents a hollow or tubular shaft, made preferably of gas-pipe, the exte- 8o rior diameter of which is about one inch, so as to fit snugly the smaller side opening in the feed-cup section M -that is to say, the diameter of this opening of the feed-cup is such as to correspond with the exterior diameter of this tubular shaft. By making the shaft hollow and of gas-pipe a smooth surface is produced to tit the opening of a corresponding diameter in the feed-cup with little or no fitting, whereas when both feed-cup and hub or 9o sleeve are made of cast metal, owing to the shrinkage and roughness ofthe castings, much' time is consumed in fitting the parts to a nice adjustment;` also, by making thc shaft tubular the time in drilling the holes for the passage of the fastening-pins is materially lessened, and strength with lightness is secured. Upon this hollow shaft (see Fig. 4) is arranged a iiuted feed-wheel, D, with a smooth extension,

I), through which arc bored registering-holes to Ioo receive the fastening-pin J', that secures the feed-wheel to the shaft, and the cnt-offs c c are also mounted on this shaft, so as to face the feed-wl1eel,and are retained iu position on the shaft by means ofthe fastening-pin J, outside of the collar, as shown. The cnt-offs c c" are united to a collar, C, by casting or otherwise. The upper cut-off, c', is formed with a longitudinal groove, c2, for a purpose about to be stated. This upper cnt-oft, c', formed with the longitudinal groove e2, when applied to the tubular shaft and adjusted in the feed-cup, passes under and tits the sides of the gate f, formed in the feed-cup, substantially as seen in Figs. l and 3 of the drawings, and its otflce is to aid in holding the eut-os in their relative positions in the feed-cup. This construction ofthe cut offs united to the collar C is to obviate an existing diliculty in casting the feed-cup with a groove in the gate to receive an upper cut-off; but by transferring the groove to tlze cutoff, as herein described and shown, the feed-cup section, with the gate, is now easily withdrawn from the sand of the mold. This section of the feed-cup is also formed with an angular notch to receive the lower cut-off, o, as seen in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

It will be observed by reference to Fig'. 4, showing the tinted feed-wheel D and the cutoffs mounted and fastened on the tubular shaft in the order shown, that I am enabled to dispense with the hub or sleeve that usually aecompanies a force-feed of this class; also, by this novel organization the force-feed works full in the grain or seed, which comes in coutact with both the face and edge of the feedwheel.

The letter ll represents a rose-washer (see Fig. 5) which fits and works into a formed recess in the section a of the feed-cup, and is provided on its inner face with a series of ribs or arms, c, of a length less than the space from the tintes and outer edge. The object of arranging these ribs or arms upon the inner face of the rose-washer E, substantially as seen in Figs. land 5 of the drawings, is to have them act in conjunction with the longitudinal ribs upon the uted feed-wheels, for the purpose of making a combined horizontal and. vertical feed. This rose-washer is also provided with the usual notches, corresponding in number .and size with the tintes on the feed-wheel.

The tubular shaft with its attachments, the tinted feed-wheel, and ent-offs are adjusted to the feed-cup, substantially as seen in Fig. l, the feed-wheel having its bearings in the rosewasher E and the tubular shaft fitting the bearings in the side opening of the feed-cup section a. The hollow shaft, thus fitting the bearings in the section a of the feed-cup, forms acondnit or space in the bottom of the feedcup, between the tinted feed-wheel and the inner face of the bottom of the feed-cup, of a size that will always remain the same, thereby insuring a continuous and even discharge of the grain from the month of the feed-cup.

The ent-off c, it will be observed, operates in the bottom of the feed-cup and extends from its collar C nearly to the end of the tlnted feed-wheel D, to prevent the bruising of the grain on the edge feed, and from the hollow shaft to the inner face of the bottom of the feed-cup. As the luted feed-wheel D has a lengthwise movement in and out through the rose-washer E, the cut-off c follows the tinted feed-wheel and its movement; regulates the quantity of grain to be sown. The eut off c', attached to the same collar C, fills the space in thenpper part of the feed-cup, between the hollow shaft and the gate fof section a of the feed-cup.

The lip or month of the discharge-orifice of the feed-cup is inclined or obliqued-that is to say, it is higher on the side a of the feed-cup than it is on the sideaof the feed-cup. Hence, as the grain is forced forward in the bottom of the feed-cup, itis forced toward the rosewasher and discharged over the lip or month ofthe feed-cup at or near the inner face of the rose-washer. Hence, as the iuted feed-wheel D forces the grain forward over the lip or mouth of the feed-cup, the ribs or arms on the rose-washer act as distributers in causing an even and continuous discharge of the grain or feed from the feed-cup.

As the tinted feed-wheel D has alengthwise movement through the rose-washer E, it is evident that the quantity of grain to be sown to the acre will be determined from the section of the tinted feed-wheel operating in the feedcup.

The seed-cups will be attached to the bottom of the feed-box, and the tubular shaft passing through the seed-cups will be revolved by gear-wheels and revolve therewith, the feedwheels and rose-washers to elevate and discharge the grain through the elevated month.

I am aware that itis not broadly new in seeding-machines to employ a hollow or tubular shaft upon which are mounted grain-feed wheels; but

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a force-feed seeding-machine, thecoinbination of an enlarged tubular shaft working in contact with the grain and a feed-wheel, substantially as described.

2. In aforce-feed seeding-machine, the'combination of an enlarged tubular shaft working in contact with the grain, a feed-wheel, and cut-offs, substantially as set forth.

3. In a force-feed seeding-machine, the combination ot' a feed-cup having side openings and an elevated discharge-orifice, an enlarged tubular shaft passed through the side openings of the seedcup and working in contact with the grain, a tinted feed-wheel, and upper and lower ent-offs, substantially as described.

4. In a force-feed seeding-machine, the combination of a feed-cup having a side opening or passage and an enlarged tubular shaft with an exterior diameter fitting closely the said IOO IIO

opening or passage of the feed-cup and revolving in Contact with the grain, substantially as set forth.

5. In a force-feed seedingmaohine, the combination of the feed-cup, the enlarged tubular shaft with the uted feed-Wheel fitted thereon, the independent cut-offs, and a rose-Washer said parts being arranged for operation sub)- stantially as described. i l

6. In nforce-feed seedingmaehine, the cutof's consisting ot the collar C, the lower outa o", o, and upper eut-od, c', with the longitudinal groove o2, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as [5 my invention l have hereunto set my hand this 1st day of April, 1881.

J oHN M. MCKINNEY, JOHN L. RITER. 

